This invention relates to mobile x-ray fluoroscopic imaging systems with miniature C-arm apparatus, and more particularly to miniature C-arm apparatus having C-arm mounted controls which activate certain functions of the imaging system.
In present-day medical practice, x-ray fluoroscopic imaging systems provide images of bone and tissue that are similar to conventional film x-ray shadowgrams but are produced by conversation of an incident x-ray pattern to a "live" enhanced (intensified) optical image that can be displayed on a video monitor directly, i.e., essentially contemporaneously with the irradiation of the patient's body or body portion being imaged. The term "fluoroscopic imaging" is used herein to designate such provision of directly video-displayed x-ray images. An imaging device, including an image intensifier, suitable for use in such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,101, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
In some x-ray fluoroscopic imaging systems, the entire system is carried on an easily movable cart and an x-ray source and detector are mounted on a rotatable mini C-arm dimensioned for examining smaller body parts such as the extremities (wrists, ankles, etc.) of a human patient.
One illustrative example of a commercially available mini C-arm x-ray fluoroscopic imaging system is that sold under the trade name "FluoroScan III" by FluoroScan Imaging Systems, Inc., of Northbrook, Ill. Further examples of mini C-arm x-ray fluoroscopic imaging systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,873 and copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/199,952, filed Nov. 24, 1998 (and assigned to the same assignee as the present application), both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference.
Mini C-arm x-ray fluoroscopic imaging systems are also being used to measure bone mineral density (BMD) of bones in, for example, the forearm or wrist, or in the ankle or heel (calcaneal region) of a human patient. An example of such an x-ray fluoroscopic imaging system is described in allowed copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/794,615 filed on Feb. 3, 1997 which is assigned to Hologic, Inc., the parent company of the assignee of the present application, and which is incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
Generally, such mini C-arm x-ray fluoroscopic imaging systems and x-ray bone densitometry systems are economical in space, conveniently movable (as within a hospital, clinic or physician's office) to a desired temporary location of use, and offer superior safety (owing to low levels of electric current utilization and reduced exposure of personnel to scatter radiation) as well as ease of positioning the x-ray source and detector relative to a patient's extremity for imaging. The various functions and operations of the system are conventionally controlled by buttons or switches on a control panel that is positionally associated with the cart.